Rhynclwspora] Cyperacece. 85 



minutely transversely undulate, beak longer than the nut, 

 subulate, scaberulous, style short, stigmas 2, very short. , 



Moist low country, below 1000 ft. Bentota; Ratnapura. Fl. March, 

 Dec. 



Also in Trop. America. 



4. R, gracillima, Thw. Enum. 435 (1864). 

 C. P. 3818. 



FL B. Ind. vi. 671. 



Stems 2-3 ft., densely tufted, filiform, rooting at the lower 

 nodes, leafy at the base and upward, root-fibres slender; 

 1. shorter than the stem, up to a foot long, filiform, flexuous, 

 margins involute, tip flat, obtuse; sheath slender, with scarious 

 margins above, closed below ; spikelets \ in., in very lax, long- 

 peduncled, axillary, loose, irregular, subcorymbiform panicles, 

 narrowly ovoid, acute, terete, brown, branches of panicles 

 1-2 in., pedicels ^-1 in., both capillary; bracts acicular; glumes 

 membranous, 3-5 lower ovate, cuspidate, empty, 2-3 upper 

 much longer, broader, convolute, flg. ; bristles o; stam. 2, anth. 

 long, linear, obtuse ; nut globose, obovoid, or subcubical, 

 deeply irregularly ridged transversely, white, at length black, 

 beak broad, short, conical, style long, very slender, stigmas 2, 

 long. 



Moist low country in wet places ; very rare. Hewesse and neigh- 

 bourhood (Thwaites). Fl. Aug., Sept., &c. 



Also in Nicobar Is., Khasia Hills, Hong Kong. 



5. R. glauca, Vahl, Enum. ii. 233 (1806). 



R. laxa, var. (5, minor, Thw. Enum. 352. C. P. 2396. 

 Fl. B. Ind. vi. 672. 



Rootstock small, hard, with stout root-fibres ; stem i-2| ft, 

 slender or rather stout, trigonous, striate, leafy throughout; 

 lower 1. as long as the stem, upper shorter, very narrow, T V in. 

 broad or less, coriaceous, flat, not keeled, narrowed from the 

 sheath (where not contracted) to the obtuse tip, margins 

 almost smooth, sheaths coriaceous, open ; spikelets ^-\ in. ; 

 ovoid, dull brown, clustered in small, loose, terminal, and 

 axillary corymbs, about 1 in. long, very shortly pedicelled,. 

 the terminal corymb most compound, Jr-f in. diam. ; glumes 

 6-7, lower smaller, ovate, cuspidate, empty, upper 1 or 2 

 broader, convolute, membranous, apiculate, fig., terminal 

 narrow, empty ; bristles shorter than the nut, scabrid ; stam. 

 1 or 2, anth. linear, obtuse; nut broadly obovoid, compressed, 

 biconvex, margins acute, pale brown, crowned with the long 

 or short, greatly enlarged, conical or subulate, pubescent 

 style-base, which is sometimes as long as the nut, faces finely,, 

 closely, transversely wrinkled, stigmas 2. 



